


Beyond the Call of Duty

by MackenzieW



Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [16]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Flirting, OQ Prompt Party (Once Upon a Time), Robin comes over in the first curse, season 1 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackenzieW/pseuds/MackenzieW
Summary: Season 1 AU. When Regina and Emma escape the fire, a handsome EMT treats the mayor and she finds herself connecting with him in a way she never thought she would.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/972261
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	Beyond the Call of Duty

**Author's Note:**

> _Written for the second day of OQ Prompt Party 2020, using **prompt 182** : Robin is cursed to be an EMT and is taking Regina's vitals the night of the fire. She sees the lion tattoo and freaks._

### Beyond the Call of Duty

"Come on, Regina," Emma said, grunting as she navigated down the stairs. "We're almost there."

The heat pressed down on them, almost as if someone kept placing weights on Regina's chest. She struggled to breathe as they slowly moved down the stairs, hindered by her injured ankle. Pain shot through her leg with even the slightest movements and blackness started to creep into her vision. Her lips were chapped and when she tried to wet them, she found her tongue was just as dry. And she could hear the flames consuming her office as smoke slowly began to fill the stairwell. She made a note to have all the doors checked to make sure they were still fireproof and would keep the smoke out in case of a future fire.

If she made it out of this inferno that was.

Which, despite Miss Swan's insistence that they were going to make it, looked very doubtful.

Her vision began to blur and she felt her head begin to swim as she continued to struggle to breathe. There had to be something poetic in the fact that her signature spell involved fire and now it was likely she was going to die surrounded by flames. Maybe that was how her life was always meant to end.

She just didn't know it would be so soon.

Maybe it was time to just close her eyes and let the darkness and flames take her away.

"Regina? Regina, don't you quit on me now!" Emma yelled, giving her a little shake. "I can see the lobby."

"Then just leave me," she murmured. "Wouldn't that make your life so much easier? You can get Henry and free the town."

Emma didn't respond right away and Regina knew she was considering her suggestion as they reached a landing and stopped. She expected Emma to just prop her against the wall and tell her to burn before running away. Instead, she adjusted her hold on Regina with a grunt before saying: "I am not going to leave you. We're both getting out of here for Henry's sake. Okay?"

Henry's sweet face flashed before Regina's eyes, clearer than anything else. She saw him smiling and saw the love in his hazel eyes. Her heart skipped several beats and she felt a burst of energy rush through her. For a few seconds, her vision cleared and she managed to hop down the final steps with Emma's help.

They crossed the lobby and Emma pushed open the doors, letting them escape the heat and flames at last. Cool air washed over Regina, which felt refreshing. She still struggled to breathe it in though as she dropped to her knees, too weak to stand. Emma stood next to her, hands on her knees as she took in several deep gulps of air.

"You okay, Regina?" she asked, her voice hoarse and shaky. Sirens started to blare in the distance and she knew the fire department was on its way.

Emma placed a hand on her shoulder. "Regina? Can you answer me?"

Regina tried to tell her she was fine but only a weak whine came out instead. Emma's eyes widened and she squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay, Regina. Help is on the way. Just hold on."

Flashing red lights and the scream of a siren caught Regina's attention. She looked to the parking lot as an ambulance pulled up. Two people jumped out of the front and one moved to the back while the other raced toward her and Emma. "Are you two okay?" he yelled out, revealing what sounded like a British accent in this world but what sounded like a Sherwoodian accent to her.

"The mayor isn't," Emma said. "I think she sprained an ankle and she's having trouble breathing."

"It's probably smoke inhalation. We'll get her on some oxygen," he replied, kneeling in front of Regina. "I'm going to examine you. Okay, Mayor Mills?"

She nodded as his partner handed him an oxygen tank. He smiled at her, helping her put on the mask. "Just breathe normally, okay?"

"Okay," she managed to squeak out, breathing in the pure oxygen filling the mask. Her lungs still burned but slowly the pain began to subside.

He opened up his kit and pulled out his stethoscope. "I'm going to listen to your chest, see if I can hear anything troubling," he told her.

She nodded and he pressed the stethoscope to her chest, asking her to breathe as deeply as she could. Even though it was still painful, she did as he asked as he nodded. He then moved onto her heart before taking her pulse. After shining a light in her eyes, he leaned back and bit his lip for a moment.

"Alright, your vitals sound good, though I think you should definitely go to the hospital," he told her. "Smoke inhalation can cause damage that's not discovered until much later and by then, it can be too late."

She nodded, though she hadn't really understood any of that and she wasn't very keen on spending time in the hospital. Maybe she could convince him not to take her and let her sign the waiver instead. Then she could go home to Henry and get some sleep.

As she continued to breathe in the oxygen, her vision and mind began to clear. She noticed that firetrucks had arrived and firefighters rushed toward Town Hall to put out the fire. Townspeople gathered around, looking at the spectacle before them. Which no doubt included the image of her lying on the lawn with an oxygen mask on as an EMT tended to her.

Looking weak.

She hated looking weak.

"Are you feeling better?" the EMT asked her, drawing her attention away from the crowd and back to him. She could see him better now and say a name tag on his blue shirt, his last name embroidered in white thread.

_Locksley._

He then glanced down at her feet. "Which ankle did you sprain?"

She opened her mouth but no sound came out, though this time it wasn't due to the fire. Regina had to admit that Locksley was very handsome. The light from the streetlamp outside Town Hall made his blond hair shine like gold. It matched the neatly trimmed hair covering his chin and cheeks. As he smiled, waiting for her answer, dimples appeared on either cheek.

Those weren't fair. What woman could resist them?

"The right," Emma finally answered for her as the other EMT tried to examine her. "She injured her right ankle."

"Alright," Locksley said, reaching for it. "This might hurt and so I'm going to apologize in advance."

He gently gripped her right foot and maneuvered it so he could examine it. Pain shot up Regina's leg and she hissed, trying to grip at the grass. It did little to anchor her and she wished he would at least put her in the back of the ambulance so she had more support.

The EMT seemed to massage her ankle and moved it a few ways, causing a dull ache to form until he turned it one particular way. Shooting pain overtook her and she cried out, her body shaking as she gripped the oxygen tank. "Fuck!" she yelled, not caring who heard her.

"Sorry, sorry," he said sincerely, setting her foot back down. "I do think it's just a sprain but I think you should get an X-Ray just in case."

"Is that necessary? I'm sure it's nothing that some rest, ice, compress and elevation won't cure," she said, familiar with the RICE process after Henry had a bad fall while learning to ride his bike.

Locksley started to pull a few more things out of his kit. "Maybe but it's best to get it looked at to make sure it's not worse than it seems. There's only so much I can feel."

"What if I promise to go to the doctor first thing in the morning?" she asked, now realizing her voice was muffled and grateful that maybe no one heard her curse after all.

He looked up, giving her a pointed look. "I know what you're trying to do, Madam Mayor, and it won't work. You're going to the hospital and not just for the ankle. I'm still very worried about your lungs with all the smoke you inhaled."

"The oxygen is helping," she told him, pointing to the mask.

"Good," he said with a pleased nod. He then frowned. "But there could be more damage than we know. You need to let a doctor clear you."

Realizing that it was not going to be easy, she tried one last excuse. "I have a son waiting for me. He's only ten."

He seemed to soften when she said and that she wondered if she was starting to persuade him. She watched as he turned to his partner and asked: "Will, can you bring the gurney? We need to transport the mayor."

It seemed she hadn't persuaded him at all.

"Sure, Rob," Will said, jogging back to the ambulance.

Locksley – Rob – turned back to her with a reassuring smile. "Do you have someone who can watch your son while you're being examined?"

"I can watch Henry for you," Sidney offered. She looked up, realizing he was standing next to her. Though he had addressed her, he glared at Rob Locksley, who was now bracing her ankle to keep it still.

She hated when Sidney got jealous and possessive. And she definitely didn't want him in her house. Nor did she think Henry would feel comfortable going to his house. Quickly coming up with an excuse, she shook her head. "I need you here, Sidney. Without an official sheriff, that's still your job," she told him.

His face fell before he squared his shoulders, ready to carry out his order from her. "Of course, Madam Mayor."

As he walked off to talk with the fire chief, Regina looked back at Rob Locksley. He followed Sidney, his eyebrows raised and an unreadable look in his eyes. Locksley then met her eyes, a knowing look in his. "Unwanted suitor?"

Instead of tearing into him for being so forward, she just shrugged. "He's harmless."

"Okay," he said, though he didn't look convinced as Will returned with the gurney. "Anyway, we're going to put you on the gurney and take you to the hospital. Who has your son now? Can they stay with him?"

Regina shook her head, knowing her regular babysitter was probably already waiting with her coat on and tapping her foot impatiently. She did not like to work late, no matter how much Regina offered to pay her, and was unlikely to stay with Henry despite the emergency. Ashley sometimes filled in when Regina was in a pinch but since she had just given birth, she was out of commission for the foreseeable future.

One person then popped into her mind and Regina felt foolish for not thinking of him sooner – Dr. Hopper. He and Henry got along well and had a good relationship that went beyond them just being therapist and patient. She was certain that Archie would agree to watch him while she got checked out as she tried to find her cellphone. When she was unable to locate it, she groaned, realizing it had probably been destroyed in the fire.

Locksley gently gripped her arms, stilling her before lying her flat on the grass. "If you need a phone, you can use mine once we get you in the ambulance."

"Thank you," she said. "Mine's probably fried by now."

"No, it's safe. I've got it," Sidney said, approaching them again. He held out her phone, though not enough for her to reach out and take it. "Is there anyone you want me to call for you?"

Will rolled the gurney toward Locksley, who then positioned it between her and Sidney. He glared at the other man. "We need you to keep the area clear. You can give it to her friend."

Regina tried not to snort when she realized he meant Emma, especially as she would rather the thorn in her side have her phone rather than Sidney at the moment. Looking up, she saw him hesitate before eyeing Emma warily. "They aren't friends."

Locksley grew more annoyed, a pink tinge coming to his face as he snatched the phone from Sidney's grasp. "There. Now, I have her phone. She doesn't need or want you to be her knight in shining armor. So if I were you, I would go do what she told you to do!" he snapped.

He stood almost nose-to-nose with Sidney, who looked ready to fight him. She rolled her eyes, not needing some macho display of power at that time. "He's right, Sidney. Go and investigate the fire," she told him.

"As you wish, _Regina_ ," he said, no doubt stressing that he was on a first name basis with her. He glared a bit longer at Locksley before stalking back toward Town Hall once more.

Locksley lowered the gurney to the ground, kneeling next to her. She noticed he was shaking and she looked up at him, seeing how annoyed he still was about Sidney. He muttered something under his breath and she nearly laughed when she realized he was ranting about what a "pretentious and idiotic git" Sidney was.

It was an apt description at the moment.

She reached out and took his hand, giving it a little squeeze. That seemed to ground him and he let out a long breath. "Sorry. Let's get you on the gurney and into the ambulance. Will and I are going to do our best not to jostle you as we transfer you but I'm going to apologize now if we accidentally do."

He slid his hands under her as Will did the same on the other side. Counting to three, they both raised her a bit off the ground and placed her on the gurney. She felt as if she were on a slide for a moment, except going sideways instead of down. It was a smooth transfer and there was no pain as Will buckled the straps around her. Locksley then raised the gurney and adjusted it until she was sitting more upright. He pulled her phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said, clutching it to her chest as she held onto the oxygen tank with her other hand. He started to roll her toward the ambulance where Will was already helping Emma into it.

Locksley gave her an apologetic grin. "Sorry but we're the only ambulance on call so you're both going to have to ride to the hospital."

"We only have one ambulance? Remind me to look at the budget again," she muttered as he and Will carefully loaded her into the bus. They closed the doors and she was left in the back with Emma sitting beside her.

She glanced over at her adversary, still surprised Emma had rescued her from the fire. And so she swallowed her pride, saying: "Thank you, Miss Swan."

Emma's eyes widened a bit before she nodded. "You're welcome, Madam Mayor."

Will climbed into the driver's seat while Locksley took the passenger one. He picked up their radio and called in that they were bringing in two patients with smoke inhalation and that one also had an injury to her ankle. Turning back toward them, he smiled as Will pulled the ambulance away from the parking lot. "Relax. We'll have you at the hospital in no time," he said.

Regina then tapped her mask and Locksley nodded. "You can take that off to make your call but then you put it right back on. I'll be watching," he warned her.

If anyone else had tried to talk to her like that, she would've dressed them down and that they didn't get to dictate what she did. But for some reason, she felt like Locksley's came from a place of caring and not control. He just wanted what was best for her health, despite not knowing her.

And that was just an odd sensation for her.

She lowered the mask and hit the contact for Dr. Hopper. It sounded like the news of the fire had spread and he asked about her wellbeing. Regina informed him that she was on the way to the hospital before asking if he would be willing to relieve the babysitter and watch Henry until she got home. He thankfully agreed, even assuring her he would pack an overnight bag just in case.

With her little prince taken care of for the night, she put the oxygen mask on and closed her eyes to rest. But a strong hand tapped her shoulder and she heard a worried Locksley ask: "Regina? You still with us? If you are, please open your eyes."

She opened her eyes again and saw relief sweep through his. He gave her a soft smile. "Try to stay awake until we get to the hospital, okay? Once again, one ambulance and I doubt Will wants to shock my heart today."

"Not on purpose," Will replied, earning a glare from his partner.

"How much longer?" Emma asked, trying to look out the window. "Storybrooke isn't that big. I can't imagine we're too far."

Locksley shook his head. "About five minutes ETA. So, sit back, relax, STAY AWAKE, and you'll be there soon."

He shot a pointed look at Regina, who just rolled her eyes. But she resisted the urge to close them as they approached the hospital. She hoped that Whale cleared her to go home sooner rather than later.

Or else she was going to make his life a living hell for a long, long time.

* * *

"What the hell is taking so long?" Regina snapped at Nurse Ratchet as she checked some of her vitals.

Ratchet didn't bat an eye as the woman always stayed unruffled. "We're waiting for the technician to come in to run the MRI machine. And it takes time for X-Rays to develop. They aren't like Polaroids."

"I just want to go home. Can't I come back in the morning?" she asked, trying her best not to whine.

The nurse shook her head. "Both the EMT and Dr. Whale noted concerns when listening to you breathe. Smoke inhalation…"

"Can cause other problems down the road. The EMT told me," Regina said, trying not to roll her eyes.

"Not just problems. Death," Nurse Ratchet said. She fixed Regina with a steely look. "You don't want to die, do you?"

A chill swept through Regina and she shook her head. Ratchet nodded, pleased. "That's what I thought. So you're going to stay here until we think it's okay to send you home."

Regina leaned back as Ratchet left the little cubicle she had been given in the ER. She closed her eyes for a few moments but was haunted by images of the fire and smoke. Opening them again, she pulled the thin blanket given her further up her body as she tried to get comfortable. She had gone from one extreme to the other and wondered why the hospital even had the air conditioning going when they were so close to winter. There had to be some happy medium between this cold and the heat of the fire.

Thinking of the fire, she hoped Sidney was busy trying to figure out what had caused the fire and if it was arson, who had tried to kill her. Because she had no doubt it was set to hurt her. And she knew that it wasn't Emma. From her criminal record, it seemed Emma favored theft over arson.

Her mind then drifted back to Rob Locksley and her heart skipped a beat in a way it hadn't in years. She had to admit that he was handsome and sexy, though she had never really gone for the more rugged type. Daniel and Graham certainly hadn't fit that description. But she couldn't deny that there was something about a man in uniform. She was also a woman who had needs and the one person who had satisfied them for years was now gone.

All because of Emma Swan.

_No_ , Regina told herself, watching her blood pressure rise on the monitor. She wasn't going to think about Graham and why she had to kill him. About how she had trusted him enough to have the closest thing that resembled a relationship and he betrayed her, choosing the woman who was trying to steal her son over her. How could he hurt her like that? Didn't he care?

_Of course he didn't_ , a treacherous voice told her. _He was just a puppet and puppets can't feel._

She pressed her hands to her head, trying to excise that voice from her mind even though she knew it was right. Graham wasn't in a relationship with her because of any actual feelings on either of their part. Regina just wanted someone to have sex with on a Saturday afternoon to release stress and he served that purpose. As she reminded herself often, it was just about sex and nothing else.

But maybe along the way she had developed something of an emotional attachment to Graham. Maybe she wanted one with someone other than Henry after all, no matter how disastrous it would likely end up being.

Maybe she was just a masochist.

_Or maybe you're just weak_ , a voice that sounded like her mother told her.

She wished she was at home. It was easier to distract herself there so that she wasn't alone with her thoughts. That never ended well for anyone – especially her.

Her mind, her enemy, then brought her thoughts back to Rob Locksley and she knew it wasn't because he was dangerously good-looking in his uniform. There was just something about him that attracted her in a way that Graham had never. She recalled how strong his hands had been yet his touch was always gentle with her. He had taken great care to ensure her comfort and just seemed to understand her. After all, he had easily picked up that Sidney was more of a nuisance than a friend and hadn't been afraid to stand up to him. Regina found herself pressing her thighs together as a familiar tingle raced through her as she recalled the fire in Locksley's eyes and how he looked ready to fight for her honor.

She didn't realize that would be such a turn on. After all, she usually preferred to fight her own battles. Though that had been born out of the fact she had realized quickly that no one else was going to fight for her.

What would've it been like to have someone like Locksley fighting for and with her?

Deciding that was not a road she wanted to go down either, she decided to return to the moments they spent on the lawn of Town Hall. Even after arguing with Sidney, he had been tender with her and focused on her. He had even been concerned for her, looking almost panicked when she had tried to get some rest in the ambulance. She would hope their EMTs cared about the people they treated but there seemed to just be something different in how Locksley was around her. It was far behind his professional duty.

It was almost as if he genuinely cared about her.

But why?

"Excuse me. Can you tell me where the mayor is?" Her heart started to beat faster when she heard Locksley's voice nearby. A few moments later, the curtain covering her cubicle was pushed back and he appeared, smiling when he saw her.

He stepped inside and closed the curtain again, standing against it as he placed his hands in his pockets. Locksley was no longer dressed in his EMT uniform but he still wore a blue t-shirt with the EMT emblem emblazoned over his heart. It was paired with jeans and sturdy brown boots, a good look for him, she decided.

"I'm sorry if I'm being forward but I just got off shift and wanted to check on you," he said. "I can go if you want."

Part of her felt it was best to tell him to go. The last thing she needed as she fought to keep her happy ending from being destroyed by the so-called Savior was to be distracted by a handsome face, sexy dimples and gorgeous eyes she now saw were blue thanks to the overly bright lighting in the ER. They would both be better off if they went their separate ways.

But the other part of her enjoyed knowing that someone at least gave a damn about her. With Henry pushing her away in favor of Emma and Graham also betraying her in favor of Emma, she felt as alone and isolated as she had in the Enchanted Forest. It would be nice to pretend for a little while that she wasn't, that she had someone in her life who cared about her injured ankle and worried about what the smoke inhalation had done to her.

Would it really cause any harm if she let Locksley be that person for now?

"No, I'd like for you to stay," she said, motioning to the rather uncomfortable looking plastic chair next to her bed. She watched as he crossed to it, asking: "Do you check on all your patients?"

He grinned as he took a seat. "Only the beautiful brunette mayors."

"Is that so?" she asked, her stomach doing flips inside her. "You get many of those?"

"Only the one," he replied, smiling at her.

Damn, he was smooth.

His smile then dropped as he grew concerned. "But seriously, how are you?"

"They took me for X-Rays and they're waiting for the MRI technician to come in so they can determine if my ankle is just sprained or worse," she told him. "I just wish I could leave. Hospitals aren't really comforting."

"No, they aren't," he agreed, reaching out and covering her hand with his. It provided her with the warmth the blanket couldn't – even the metal watch on his wrist was warm. "Well, how about I take your mind off things?"

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you propose to do that?"

He grinned. "You want to hear stories about some of my weirdest calls?"

"Yes," she replied, eager for a good laugh. And she figured it would be better than thinking about how much Henry hated her or the fact that someone nearly tried to burn her alive.

It would also keep Locksley with her and right now, she needed his calming presence – consequences be damned.

* * *

Regina's lungs burned for a different reason now. Locksley was a natural storyteller and she almost felt as if she were right beside him on the calls he told her about, from the one where a man was concerned when his erection hadn't gone away after four hours to the poor little kid with his head stuck between the railings.

"Was he okay?" she asked after that one, wiping some tears away from her eyes.

He nodded. "He was fine. We got him checked out just in case but I think he was more embarrassed than hurt."

"Oh, that's good," she replied, relieved that the little boy wasn't hurt. She then reached over and covered his hand with her other one. "Thank you for those laughs. It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard."

"Well, that seems like a crime," he told her. "Anyone with a smile as beautiful as yours should always have it on display."

She felt her cheeks heated up. How was he able to so easily compliment her and mean it? Sidney's always sounded like he was trying too hard to flirt with her. Locksley's just felt more natural to her.

Or maybe she was more welcoming of his than Sidney's.

Nurse Ratchet pushed open the curtain and stepped inside her. She glanced over Locksley before turning her attention to Regina. "Bad news. We're having issues with the MRI. We may not be able to get you scanned for a couple more hours."

She groaned. "Wonderful."

"I'll let you know if anything changes," Ratchet promised before leaving again.

"Good thing Archie packed an overnight bag," she said. "I don't think I'm going home before morning."

Locksley nodded before biting his lip. He then asked: "Do you want me to stay with you until they can take you for the MRI?"

Her heart beat wildly as she tried to stay calm. She didn't want to seem too eager about his offer to stay with her and she didn't want to read too much into it. After all, she didn't know anything about him. While she didn't see a ring on his finger, she didn't want to assume that someone like him didn't already have a girlfriend or fiancée out there.

"I don't want to inconvenience you," she told him. "You've sat with me for a long time already. I'm sure someone is waiting for you to come home."

Locksley did hesitate for a moment. "Well, my son, but tonight was my late night anyway. He's long been in bed and my best mate John lives with us so he's in good hands."

"Oh," she said, marveling at him even more. Not only was he kind, caring and gorgeous, he was a responsible father on top of everything.

Either someone was rewarding her or tempting her by sending him into her life.

"How old is he?" she asked him.

"Four," he replied proudly.

She smiled, remembering how cute Henry was at that age. "Four is a good age. They're slightly more independent but not too much so."

He nodded. "I agree. How old is your son?"

"Ten," she replied. "He's my everything. I don't know what I would do without him."

Locksley squeezed her hand. "I'm sure he feels the same way about you."

"I'm not sure about that right now," she admitted softly. "We've hit something of a rough patch and he thinks I'm a villain."

He frowned, rubbing her hand. "Why?"

She found the story spilling from her lips. There was just something about Locksley and the look in his eyes that just made her want to open up to him. Regina told him about how Henry learned he was adopted when he accidentally found the paperwork and that he did not handle the revelation well. She told him how he struggled to make friends, though leaving out that it was because unlike the other children, he aged and would move on before he could really establish any meaningful relationship, and how she worried she wasn't a good mother.

"Okay, I definitely don't think it's that last one," he told her. "I think the fact you're worrying about all of this proves you're a good mother. It's just…no one promised it would be easy, no matter how much we want it to be for our children."

"I didn't think it would be this hard," she agreed. "You know Emma? The woman I was with? That's his birth mother. He ran away and found her because that's how much he hates me."

Locksley grimaced. "I don't think he hates you but that is rough."

She nodded, feeling herself choke up. "I just don't know what else to do. It seems every time I try to hold onto him tighter, he just pushes me away. I don't want to lose him but I feel like it's inevitable."

"I'm sure you won't lose him," he told her. "But maybe you need to stop tightening your hold. Don't you remember what it was like to be that age? Because I do. And I remember how I just wanted to feel like I was grown up and have some more control over my life."

"I wanted the same," she replied, thinking about how that was around the time her mother started to become even more controlling. Everything Regina did was approved and scheduled by her mother. It felt as if her every move was watched and she couldn't do anything she wanted. She had only been allowed to start riding because Mother knew queens were expected to at least sit regally on a horse and hold their balance when needed.

As she got older, she tried to seize more control of her life but that only caused her mother to get more controlling. She also wasn't afraid of punishing Regina, to the point of pain and terror. Regina never felt like her mother loved her and only saw her as a puppet.

Oh gods. She had become her mother.

No wonder Henry hated her.

"Regina?" Locksley asked, reaching up to wipe the tears wetting her cheek. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I just realized I'm doing to my son what my mother did to me. No wonder he thinks I'm some villain. I know she was. He's definitely going to want to go live with Emma now."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it's a foregone conclusion."

"Because you didn't know my mother," she told him.

"True, but I'm starting to know you," he replied. "And I think that now that you realize you're repeating the abuse your mother inflicted on you, you can stop it."

She lifted her head, staring at him as she tried to process everything he had just said. "I'm sorry, are you also a therapist in addition to being an EMT?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I've read a lot of parenting books. It's just me since my wife died and I want to be the best I can be for my son. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," she said, thinking of the books she read when she first adopted Henry. And yet she still ended up in such a tense situation with him. "Maybe I didn't read the right books."

"Well, no matter how much reading we do, nothing really prepares us for what parenting will throw at us," he said.

She had to admit her was right about that but she still felt like she had failed as a mother. Rolling onto her side, she took his hand again. "Tell me about your son."

"Roland?" Locksley asked, smiling so brightly it rivaled the lights overhead. "He's the best."

And as he told her all about his son, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off remembering Henry and all his antics when he was growing up.

* * *

"Regina? Regina, wake up." Someone shook her gently, rousing her from a deep sleep. Blinking her eyes open, Locksley's face came into focus. He smiled at her. "There you are."

She sat up, rubbing the back of her neck and wondering how long she had been asleep for. "What's going on?"

"They're ready to take you for the MRI as well," he told her, stepping aside so she could see Nurse Ratchet and a guy in scrubs with a wheelchair waiting for her.

Relief spread through her. "Oh, finally."

"Yep. Here, let me help you," he said, sliding his arm under hers as he helped her off the bed. She leaned against him, letting him support her. It was a good excuse to be close to him for even a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, she found that he smelled woodsy.

It suited him.

He helped her to the wheelchair and eased her down into it. "There you go," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, looking up and freezing as her eyes went to his right arm – specifically the tattoo just above his wrist.

A lion roaring against a crest.

Just like the one she saw on the man Tinkerbell had pointed out in that tavern all those years ago.

Rob Locksley was that man.

She tried to process that information as he knelt in front of her. "Do you want me to stay until you're done?"

"No, that's okay," she gasped out as her mind told it would be a bad idea. The last thing she needed was to bond anymore with him. It would only end poorly for both of them. "You've already spent more than enough time with me. I can't ask anymore of you."

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking reluctant to leave her. If he knew the truth, he would be running far away from her.

She nodded, a lump forming in her throat. "I am. Thank you."

"Alright. Maybe once you're feeling better, we can go get a drink?" he asked, pressing something into her hand. When she glanced down at it, she realized it was his phone number.

Regina knew she should turn him down and try to distance herself from him. But instead, her mouth said: "Maybe."

He smiled as he stood, stepping to the side so they could start wheeling her away. "I look forward to it, Regina," he called after her.

Not long after, she was lying in the tube of the MRI machine with music playing in her ears to drown out the noise the machine made as it scanned her foot and leg. But the music did little to distract her thoughts from Robin – which she now knew was his given name – Locksley.

Her soulmate.

She still couldn't believe that she had found him. After she had ran from the tavern, she didn't think about the man Tinkerbell had insisted she was meant to find love and her happy ending with much. Sometimes she would wonder what her life would've been like had she gone in but she never dwelt on it for too long. And once she got to Storybrooke, she didn't think about it at all – had she gone inside, she wouldn't have Henry.

And she couldn't imagine her life without him.

But he was here now, trapped in her curse. She had told Snow that this was to be a place where the only happy ending would be hers. Had he been brought here to ensure that? And if so, why hadn't she met him earlier? Why did he enter her life now, when it was clear her curse was starting to weaken and Emma could break it at any time? She knew that once he got his memories back, whatever was developing between them would be dead. He would no doubt turn cold to her and instead of the kindness and warmth in his eyes, she would only see hatred.

Though she only knew him for mere hours, she knew it would still break her heart to see that.

Life really loved screwing her over.

She had to stay away from him and needed to focusing on salvaging her relationship with Henry while finally convincing Emma to leave before she ruined everything for her. The last thing she needed was to fall in love. After all, love was weakness. Emma had already turned her son and Graham against her. How long before she would manage to do the same with Robin? It would seem Regina was meant to fight this battle alone.

But she couldn't deny how strong she felt pulled to him. The warmth and comfort he had provided her was something she hadn't felt in a long time. She just felt safe with him and like she mattered just because she existed. He didn't want anything from her except to see her smile and to make sure she was going to be okay. And she had just opened up to him, confiding her fears and weaknesses to him without worrying that he would use them against her. She just trusted him – and she didn't trust anyone. It was as if they were meant to be together.

And if pixie dust was to be believed, they were.

Regina wished she knew what to do. She hated how topsy-turvy her life had become and wished things were still the way they were before Henry had found that damned book, where everything was always the same. There were no surprises and no complications. It was just a really simple life.

That was, admittedly, not really living.

Life was complicated and messy and right now, hers had that in spades. It also seemed like it wasn't going to be something she resolved in a short amount of time and she expected it would get worse before she finally found the answers she was looking for. And though patience was not her strong suit, she had no other choice. She was just going to have to take her time and take baby steps.

Starting with drinks.


End file.
